Somebody to love
by Sarah d'Emeraude
Summary: "Are you waiting for him again?" Paul sighed, chasing his dark thoughts away by nodding at Aaron, thanking him for the drink. "I'm pretty pathetic, aren't I?" he asked. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Paul" insisted Maggie, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to have a crush. No judgments here." In which Paul Rovia really needs somebody to love.


_**(This work was written as a prompt for the Desus Valentine's day challenge on AO3, for DarylDixonGrimes. The resquests were bottom!Daryl, "oh", and misunderstandings.)**_

 **Please forgive my mistakes, I wrote it all at once and English isn't my first language...**

 **I struggled a little with the bottom!Daryl request, but I think I made it work! I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you will all like it as well! xx**

* * *

The Hilltop was a crowded bar, especially on Saturdays. To Paul's opinion, it was the better days, too. Mostly because they had karaoké on Saturdays, and Paul was never one to say no to a great song and an occasion to make a fool out of himself.

When he entered the bar with Maggie that night, Paul Rovia was ready to kick some serious asses at karaoké and mostly spend a great evening with his friends. After all, was is a busy man, most of the time. He'd been a martial arts teacher for years, proudly using his black belt to teach people how to defend themselves. That was how he met Maggie Greene, years ago. The girl had signed up to his classes because of some asshole named Gregory harassing her, and they had become great friends through the months. Now, they were hardly going anywhere without each other.

Paul knew that a lot of people assumed that he and Maggie were together because of that. It was quite funny, actually. Because Paul was gay as hell, and Maggie was head over heals with a boy named Glenn, living near Atlanta. They barely saw each other these days because Maggie was studying to become a veterinarian, and Glenn was working his ass off to save money to buy a place for Maggie and himself. So they let people talk, laughing about it together.

"Hey, Greene, Rovia!"

Paul and Maggie turned around, waving at the man who had called them. Aaron was the barman, and one of the first person they had talked to when coming here for the first time. Paul knew that Aaron was gay, because his husband was owning the bar with him. He was one of the few people Paul trusted, mostly because he didn't have a lot of friends, but also because Aaron had seen right through him from the very first day. He had been disappointed in love more than once, and during a pretty busy night involving a lot of alcohol, he had blurted it all out to Aaron and Eric and their kind and warming smiles.

"Good to see you" said Maggie when she was seated at the bar, Paul following close.

"Great to see you too, guys. How are you both?"

They fell into a pretty easy conversation, the three of them. The bar was full, but surprisingly quiet. They were all gathered in the karaoké side of the bar, which left the dining area pretty empty.

"You look thoughtful" teased Aaron when Paul realized that he had zoned out, completely erasing his friends from fogged mind.

"I'm sorry" he smiled at the young man, and tried to ignore Maggie's smirk.

Aaron served him a drink, his usual.

"Are you waiting for him again?" he asked casually, even if Paul knew better.

His friends, or at least Maggie and Aaron, were way too invested in his romantic and sexual life. Eric was more reserved, as always, but the two in front of him at the moment were the worst. They even had the nerves to comment Paul's last one night stand, that he had fucked in the toilets of the bar. Thank god he always had a small vial of lube in his pocket, as well as some condoms. Not that it helped his sexual life very much anyway.

Because it was just his luck that Paul had fallen for a guy he had met in that bar. But not just any guy, of course. It had to be a guy that looked like an angel fallen from heaven, with his dark messy hair and eyes as blue as the sky, his dirty but super hot look and the way he stared at people like he could see right through their souls. Paul had been unable to stop staring at him the first time he had walked in and talked to Eric to order a Jack and coke, and it was no different now.

But of course, all good things had to come with problems. The problem being a (super hot, too) guy named Rick Grimes, sheriff deputy of the town, and very much in love with the angel Paul was dreaming of every night. And Paul was a good person, or at least he tried to. He did jack off a few times to the thought of fucking Daryl Dixon, but he wasn't gonna do anything about it. Because he had been in Rick's position before, and finding that your boyfriend cheated on you was the worst thing to happen to someone as nice as Rick.

Because of course Rick was adorable. He was smoking hot, too, but Paul expected no less from a man like Daryl. Because damn, these two looked hot as fuck together, and Paul would have given a kidney to be able to see them making out against the door of the dirty toilets of the bar. But he had never even seen them kiss, and had to admit it was nice to see them being so close to each other without even touching during the entire part of the night. It was something he secretly was jealous of, too. The way these two never touched, or kissed, and needed but one look to be on the same page. Shit, they even ordered the same drinks!

Paul sighed, chasing his dark thoughts away by nodding at Aaron, thanking him for the drink.

"I'm pretty pathetic, aren't I?" he asked, trying to smile but failing miserably.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Paul" insisted Maggie, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to have a crush. No judgments here."

Aaron nodded to empathize Maggie's point, and Paul smiled for real this time.

"Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you, to be completely honest."

"Probably nothing, but that's okay" replied Maggie with a smirk.

He flipped her off, and right at that moment the doors of the bar opened again to let in the man occupying the young man's thoughts.

Paul's breath was taken away as Daryl Dixon made his entrance in the bar, hands shoved inside his jean's pockets and hair covering half of his face. He looked wild, and fierce, and Paul felt his groin stir at the thought. Behind him, Rick Grimes followed, and Paul could only admit once again that the sheriff was definitely hot. His beard looked around two or three days old, his hair was a little longer than when he had met them months ago. He had been so focused on Daryl during all these months that he hadn't seen how much time had passed, and guilt twisted his guts once again. He looked down at the floor, and sighed.

"Hey guys!" said Eric, looking like he was just out of his office for a few seconds.

Eric was the one managing the bar from afar, taking care of all the numbers and boring stuff. Aaron was serving drinks, when he wasn't helping out his husband. Because of that, it was pretty rare to see Eric joining them. But much appreciated still.

"Hey everyone" greeted Rick, flashing a warm smile at the small assembly that were Aaron, Paul and Maggie.

Paul saw Eric gesture at another barman, Tyreese, to take care of the other clients. Aaron had probably finished his shift already, and being the second owner of the bar, he was used to enjoy the night with Paul and Maggie most of the time, delaying his work to Tyreese and the other barman Kal when both were present.

"Hey Rick! Glad to see you again pal" said Maggie with a warm smile.

That was the other thing, too. Rick was nice. Seriously, really nice. I'll-hold-your-hair-when-you-throw-up-nice. Everyone liked him, including Maggie, and Paul. And that made the younger man feel even shittier when he was daydreaming about fucking his boyfriend.

"I'm glad you are all here, it's really good to see you" stated the cop when Aaron served him a jack and coke, giving the same to Daryl.

Paul tried not to huff at that. First because Rick did not deserve him being a dick, and second of all because his aching heart was no one's fault but his alone. He was the one falling for someone taken, not Rick.

"Are y'all ready to party yet?" asked Eric, excited.

He knew how much they loved to have fun, especially with karaoké. And once again, Paul was never one to refuse.

"Yeah, bring it on already!" he almost yelled, swallowing his shot in one go.

He could feel Maggie's worried gaze on the side of his face but he decided to ignore it, getting up to head to the karaoké booth, luckily unoccupied at the moment. He only turned around when he was on the small stage, ready to party, and his belly fluttered when he locked eyes with Daryl. The man looked taken aback by Paul's attitude, and he could not blame him. Paul was not someone shy, but he was mostly more reserved than this night. But he needed to get things off his chest, and a good song was a pretty great idea.

The audience was smaller than a few minutes before, people slowly leaving or suddenly uninterested if they weren't the ones singing. It was better this way. Daryl, Rick and Maggie sat down at a table right in front of the stage, while Aaron and Eric took care of the drinks.

"You gonna sing or what?" teased Rick when he realized that Paul hadn't thought things this far.

Paul grinned. "Yeah, don't worry about that sheriff. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Daryl was still silent, but it wasn't new. Paul had talked to him more often than not, but the redneck liked to listen to people instead of actively replying, most of the time. It was a thing he had noticed with Rick as well, the way Rick would sometimes whisper things at Daryl while looking his way or smile knowingly when something unspoken was happening between them. Although this time, Daryl's eyes stayed on Paul.

"Alright, I know what I wanna sing" said Paul, clearing his throat. "Aaron? Could you put it for me?"

"Sure, Rovia. Which one do you want?"

"Somebody to love by Queen and George Michael."

Maggie whistled in the audience, and Paul winked at her. Daryl looked a little confused, looking between the two of them, while Rick looked at his lover with a small smile.

"George Michael, that's a good choice" interrupted Aaron, all smiles as well.

"Well, I'm a firm believer that all the gay people should be able to at least sing one of George or Freddie's songs, sue me" replied the young man with a chuckle, and this time, Rick laughed as well.

The first notes of the song resonated in the small space of the bar, and Paul took a deep breath. He didn't even need the lyrics, he knew the song too damn well. He had been a fan of George Michael and Queen for so long now, that it was almost shameful.

He focused entirely on the song, letting the lyrics fall from his lips in rhythm with the music and trying to black out every other thoughts from his mind. It worked well, for a moment at least. Glorified by the music and the cheers of his friends, he opened his eyes, his gaze catching Daryl's.

 _I work hard (he works hard) every day of my life_

 _I work till I ache in my bones_

 _At the end (at the end of the day)_

 _I take home my hard earned pay all on my own_

 _I get down (down) on my knees (knees)_

 _And I start to pray_

 _Till the tears run down from my eyes_

 _Lord somebody (somebody), ooh somebody_

 _(Please) can anybody find me somebody to love?_

Daryl looked mesmerized. Or maybe Paul was just imagining things, because that was what Paul tended to do, very often. He liked to dream about how things were supposed to be, and right now, all he wanted was to see Daryl looking up at him like he actually wanted him. And for a moment, a single moment that he would probably cherish forever, Daryl looked at him in awe, swallowing nervously. Their eyes connected for a handful of seconds and Daryl finally looked away, probably ashamed of himself.

Then, Paul realized that he had just done. He didn't know how long he had stared at Daryl like this, singing this freaking song meaning everything to him, right in front of the man's boyfriend. He tried to ignore the ache in his chest, the way his throat felt dry and his hands started to shake, and finished the song anyway.

As soon as the last notes had ended, he got off the stage to grab another drink on the table, ignoring his friend's puzzled looks. Maggie looked sad, Rick a little worried, and it was way too much for the young man to handle.

"I need to go to the bathroom" he blurted out, putting his now empty glass on the table and heading to the toilets quickly. It wasn't his smartest move, knowing that Maggie would probably follow him at some point and try to talk about what had just happened. But he needed to cool off a little bit, and there was nothing better than cold water to do so.

A few seconds after his entry in the bathroom, he heard the door open and close again. Eyes still closed, face wet with cold water, he sighed loudly.

"Maggie, I swear right now's not a good time."

"It's not Maggie."

Paul froze on the spot. He swallowed nervously, turning around to face Daryl Dixon, standing two feet away from him in the men's bathroom.

"Daryl" Paul exhaled, feeling his stomach clench.

Daryl's face was blank, and for once, even his eyes were hard to read. He kept staring at Paul, arms crossed over his chest and making his arms muscles bulge in the most wonderful way. The young man tried to focus on something else entirely, failing miserably.

"I thought I was reading this wrong" finally muttered Daryl, taking a step forward.

He cornered the young man against the faucet, putting his hands on each side of Paul's body. The young man's breath caught in his throat, his lungs feeling with the rich scent of Daryl's musky perfume and the unmistakable scent of cigarette. He almost wined, so incredibly turned on by a simple scent and the mere present of the man so close to his body.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that" Paul managed to blurt out, trying very hard not to sound pathetic.

Daryl did not reply orally, grabbing the young man by the upper arms instead and pushing him towards one of the toilets, closing the door behind him once they were both inside the restricted space. Paul blinked a few times, startled, and before he had the chance to do anything, Daryl's lips were on his, pushing his back against the toilet's walls.

Paul had often dreamed about kissing Daryl Dixon. Yet, reality did not even begin to compare to his wildest dreams. Daryl's lips were soft, unlike the rest of him, or of what he could see at least. Often, Paul had dreamed about them wrapping around his cock, or kissing his hairless chest while Paul was thrusting hard and fast inside of him. But it was soft and almost hesitant against his lips, and the young man could only reply to the kiss without thinking further about this entire fucked up situation.

When Daryl's lips left his, trailing a long path of wet succions against his very sensitive neck, Paul let his head fall against the wall behind him. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he could hear a panicked voice telling him to stop this before it went on even further. He needed to stop this, he needed…

"Oh my god, Dar-" he chocked when the man fell to his knees, unbuckling his belt quickly and pushing his pants down his legs.

The older man mouthed at his half hard cock against his boxer briefs, capturing the swollen head between his teeth so gently it felt way too good. But no matter how good it felt, it was also the signal for all of this to stop, and right now.

"Daryl, stop!" he cried, shaking his head furiously, pushing against Daryl's shoulder for the other man to stop his ministrations.

The older man looked up, confused, and Paul took this opportunity to put his pants back on as quickly as he could. Daryl looked even more confused than before, and while Paul could clearly see the erection tenting his pants, he didn't feel the urge to grab it anymore, nausea twisting his already knotted stomach. He took a handful of seconds to clear his head, breathing in deeply, and Daryl was the one interrupting the young man's thoughts.

"Why did you push me away?" he breathed out, his dark hair covering his flushed face almost entirely. "I thought you wanted this."

"You thought I wanted…" Paul stopped, feeling anger rise inside of him. "Daryl, who the fuck do you think I am?"

This time, a glimpse of hurt flashed in Daryl's eyes. He straightened his back, taking a step back.

"How in the name of hell did you think this was okay?" continued Paul, feeling his eyes swelling with unleashed tears that he tried to swallow back down. "What kind of person are you?"

This time, there was no mistaken to the hurt and disappointment that shook Daryl's entire body. Suddenly, the man looked ten years younger, and he bent his head, ashamed. His hands curled on fists, and he pushed them inside of his jean pockets.

"I'm sorry" he muttered, still not looking at Paul. "I'm sorry."

"You better be."

Opening the door, Paul let a few tears fall down his cheeks once he was out of Daryl's sight, leaving the bathroom in hurry.

"Paul?"

Maggie's worried voice made him realize that he was standing outside of the bathroom, crying silently in the middle of a much crowded room.

"Paul, what happened?" asked Maggie, running towards him.

He could see Rick getting up behind her, which made the whole thing even worst. More tears fell from his eyes, and he let out a violent sob when his best friend put her hands on his shoulders to shake him lightly.

"I need to get out of here" he hiccuped, before turning to Rick.

The man looked worried, about him or what had happened with his lover inside of the bathroom, he didn't really know.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

He didn't know if Rick had realized that he was talking to him, but he didn't stop to check. Turning around, he got out of the bar as quickly as he could.

* * *

To say that Paul felt like shit for the next few days would be an understatement. Luckily, he had a week off, and was able to stay in bed for as long as he wanted. Which meant that he had not left the apartment for three days, and he desperately needed to grab something to eat. But he wasn't in the mood to do some shopping, or even go to the grocery store down the street.

He still felt like shit for what he did to Rick. He didn't do anything per say, but he still felt like he had pushed things too far with the song. How did he end up being the one pushing someone to cheat on his boyfriend? How did he fall so low? And he would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed in Daryl, either. The man looked happy and in love with his boyfriend, looking at him like he was the single most perfect person on this earth but still proposed blowjob to strangers in the bathroom.

Just as he was about to fall back into bed and forget about eating anything, Paul's door bell rang. He had told Maggie not to disturb him, after telling her the whole story the night of the disaster. She knew better than to visit him when he was in this state, so it wouldn't be her behind the closed door. Sighing in defeat, he walked to the door as slowly as he could. But what he did not expect was for Rick Grimes to be the one standing behind the other side of the door, holding a baby against his torso and a strangely calm look on his face.

"Hello Paul" he said, smiling to the man. "Can I come in?"

Paul should have felt ashamed with the state of his apartment, but he didn't find the nerves to care. He simply nodded, letting the sheriff come inside and closing the door behind him.

"Sorry to barge in like this" Rick said, not losing his smile. "I just dropped my son to school, and I took a day off to take care of this little lady, who woke up sick during the night."

He gestured to the baby in his arms, and Paul couldn't help but smile a little. He always had a soft spot for babies.

"I didn't know you had kids" he finally managed to blurt out, looking away.

He must have been looking like a homeless person, with his greasy hair and baggy pants. Not that he cared, anyway. He was the asshole in the story, and he was ready to face his actions at the bar.

"Yeah, I think there are a lot of things you didn't know about me." replied Rick in a sigh, and this time Paul looked up at him, puzzled. "Can we sit down? I need to talk to you."

"Huh, yeah, sure."

He gestured to the couch, awkwardly pushing away the covers he had put on it to watch some tv the day before. He crossed his fingers that some crisps or food leftovers weren't hidden in it, because it would be even more mortifying.

"Looks like you've been busy" noted Rick, amused.

He sat his daughter on the couch, taking her little coat off and small shoes as well. The baby made a happy noise, catching the warm cover in her tiny fingers and shaking it in her little hands.

"I have a week off" shrugged Paul, blushing anyway.

"Sure. I'm not judging, though."

"What do you want, Rick? Are you here to make fun of me? You don't think I don't feel like shit already after what happened?"

His tone was harsh, and Paul regretted it a little bit when the baby let out an unhappy squeal.

"Paul, I don't think you really understand what happened that night" Rick's tone was soft, almost sad. "I don't think… I think you got the entire situation wrong."

"What? Are you kidding me? I know I have my responsibility in this entire mess, but I know what it looks like when a guy tries to suck me off, Rick."

Rick groaned, rolling his eyes so hard it must have hurt.

"There are things that I don't wanna know about Daryl's sexuality" he muttered, almost to himself, "and I swear this is one of them."

Paul blinked. Once, then twice.

"I don't understand" he admitted, confused.

"Yeah, I got that" replied Rick, without an int of malice in his voice. "As I said, you got the entire situation wrong, Paul."

"But you and Daryl-"

"Daryl's my best friend."

A pregnant pause followed that declaration, and eventually, Paul shook his head.

"No, no I've seen you…"

"Seen what, exactly?"

Rick picked up his fussy daughter, cradling her against his chest. The baby babbled a little, looking up at her father with big, round eyes. Rick looked down at her, kissing her chubby cheek, the little girl frowning when his beard tickled her soft skin.

"I… I don't know. I've seen you two interact." Paul's voice was shaky, but he didn't care. He needed to understand. "How you look at each other, how you… how you act, you know?"

This time, Rick's smile was kind and warm.

"Daryl's my best friend" he said again, rocking the baby against his broad chest. "And Judith's godfather, too. We're close because of what happened to me, with my wife. I mean, my ex-wife. She took off with my ex best friend, leaving two children and a confused husband behind. That was a year and a half ago, and ever since, Daryl has always been here for me. To help with the kids, and to relax when we can. That's why we used to come at the bar, together."

Paul was frozen on the spot. He couldn't talk, or even think properly. It had to be a joke, and the universe was testing him.

"I knew when he first laid eyes on you that he was smitten, but he wasn't going to admit it that easily" Rick kept going, looking at the young man during the entire time. "I kept pushing him towards you, but he was so certain that you were straight, you know? Smitten with Maggie, you do look quite cosy together."

The martial art teacher wanted to slap himself. How many month did he lost acting like an imbecile? He had never seen Rick and Daryl kiss, yet he had assumed. And Daryl was shy, so of course he had waited until he was certain that he wouldn't make a mistake. And then, Paul had pushed him away.

"Oh my god" whined Paul, letting his face fall in his hands. "Oh my god, I thought… I thought he was cheating on you, at the bar."

"Yeah, I understood that as soon as you apologized to me when you left the toilets" sighed Rick. "To be fair, I was so concerned about Daryl that I didn't even think about blurting out the truth right in the middle of the bar."

"I told him he was a bad person" whispered Paul, feeling his heart ache deep in his chest. "I thought… I pushed him away, and I made him feel like shit. He must have thought I was some kind of homophobic asshole. I was just trying… I didn't mean to hurt him, I thought… I didn't want to be the other guy."

Rick hummed his comprehension, before sighing deeply.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Paul. Daryl did not take it well. He actually refused to let me come to see you to arrange things before today, and the only reason why I am here is because he thinks I'm at work. He's ashamed, of himself mostly and he firmly believes that he made the biggest mistake of his life that night, loosing someone he deeply cares about."

"I'm so sorry, Rick."

Paul knew that his voice was weak, and broke at the end of his sentence, but he couldn't care less. It was just occurring to him now how much he had screwed things up.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean for this to happen" said Rick, shaking his head. "I know you're a good person, and I really like you, Paul. But I can't stand this, I can't see my brother look so sad when it's all just a misunderstanding. You need to see him, you need to make him understand what happened and why you pushed him away."

"Yes, yes of course" nodded the young man, as soon as the words left Rick's mouth. Everything you want, he wanted to add. Everything to make Daryl feel better.

As if she could feel the mood lightening, Judith squealed happily, shaking her chubby hands in the air. Rick chuckled, kissing the soft hair on top of her small head.

"I'm gonna go and take care of this one, her medication is soon going to be out of effect" finally said Rick, bouncing Judith on his knee. "Please don't make me come back here to kick your ass, okay?"

Paul knew it was a kind of shovel talk from the sheriff, but he couldn't help but chuckle. He knew how serious the words were, and was not surprised to find a small glimpse of warning bleeding from the words. But he had no intention to hurt Daryl, or at least not if the man wanted him to… In some precise circumstances.

"You won't need to" assured the young man, a smile finding its way back to his face. "I promise."

He looked around to his messy living room, and the state of his own body.

"I should probably get a shower, though. It's been… a messy couple of days."

"Yeah, you're lucky I forced Daryl to take one before coming here" smiled Rick, getting up to head to the door after dressing up Judith. "You couldn't imagine how messy his hair was."

Paul chuckled.

"Yeah well, if I did not gathered mine in a bun, I swear it would be even worst right now."

"I don't doubt that, Paul… I don't doubt that."

And with a chuckle, Rick was out of the apartment.

* * *

Paul almost ran all the way to Daryl's apartment. It looked like Rick had a few tricks up his sleeves too, because minutes after his departure, Maggie was suddenly texting him Daryl's address. Along with a winking smiley, of course. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't hear the end of it. If everything went the right way. And Paul crossed his fingers that it would, because he couldn't stand another couple of days like this, uncertain and unhappy.

Straightening his back once he was finally in front of Daryl's apartment door, he knocked on it loud enough for the other man to hear it if he was in another room. He had considered using the bell, but he figured something as quiet as Daryl didn't like loud noises. He then waited for a couple of seconds, anxiety creeping its way up his body, before the door finally opened.

Daryl looked… surprisingly good. Paul knew that Rick probably had to do with it, but his hair looked clean, and the clothes he was wearing too. He finally looked up at Paul, and his entire body tensed on the spot.

"Paul? What are ya doing here?"

"Hey, Daryl." he breathed out, smiling softly.

He really hoped that the man wouldn't shut the door right in front of his face.

"I think I owe you an apology" he continued, balancing his weight from one foot to the other. "For that night, at the bar."

Daryl stayed silent, but opened his door wider. Paul took that as an invitation to step in, and turned around to face the man when the door closed again.

"Ya didn't have to come" whispered Daryl, still looking everywhere but at Paul. "I got it, I got the message."

"No, you didn't" replied Paul, his voice breaking at the end of his sentence. "God, Daryl, I'm so sorry, I got it all wrong."

Daryl shrugged.

"It's okay, ya know. That you're not… What I am."

"No, Daryl… You don't get it." He sighed, shaking his head lightly. "I'm gay. I'm like, super gay. Always have been."

He could clearly see the confusion inside Daryl's eyes.

"You just… don't want me then?" asked the older man, unsure.

"What? No! I just… Okay, this is pretty embarrassing, alright? For months, since the first time I saw you and Rick enter that bar more precisely… I thought you were taken. That's why I didn't want to do anything about my attraction to you, because I didn't want to be the other guy, you know? I've been in this situation before, and it sucks, let me tell you."

Daryl frowned, still confused.

"What d'ya mean, taken? What made you think there was somebody for me?"

"Well.. the way you acted with Rick, I thought…"

The young man was cut by a chuckle. He looked up, surprised, only to find Daryl's lips curved up in an amused smile.

"Rick? Seriously? Ya thought Rick n' me…"

"Were lovers, yes" admitted Paul, feeling his cheeks heat up.

" **Oh**."

He was glad to see that the entire situation amused Daryl at least a little bit.

"What in the hell made you think that?" asked the redneck again, crossing his arms on his chest.

The movement made his muscled arms bulge, and Paul wanted to lick his lips at the sight. And lick said muscles, too.

"I just thought, you know? First time you came in, you were so close… everyone talked about you and Rick, never one without the other and you always sat next to each other. Sometimes, I saw you whispering things to each other and smiling, I thought you weren't really into public displays of affections, that's all."

Daryl looked satisfied with the answer because he nodded, thoughtful.

"I never realized we were that close" he whispered. "I never thought it could be interpreted this way."

A few seconds of silence followed his declaration, before Paul decided to speak again.

"I didn't mean to push you away, in the bathroom" he sighed, cheeks red. "I thought… I wanted you so bad, you know? Had been watching you for a better part of the evening, like every time you came in the bar, but this time… This time you were the one pushing me inside the toilets and all I coud think about was how good it felt. But then, I thought about Rick, and…"

He bit the inside of his cheek, not needing to explain things further. They both knew how things had ended, sadly.

"So you want me, then?" finally asked Daryl, voice lower than before.

His eyes were fixed on Paul's, and the young man could feel his entire body gravitating towards the man in front of him. It felt like an entire weight had been taken off his shoulder, letting him enjoy the situation at last. And it felt really, really good.

"I never wanted anyone as bad as I want you" confessed Paul, his voice raspy with desire.

"Are ya gonna do something about it then?"

Paul was never one to refuse a challenge, after all. He crossed the distance separating him from Daryl in one step, pushing the redneck against his closed door, his mouth attacking Daryl's. Their lips connected for the second time in a week, and both let out a low moan at the sensation. Daryl's lips were just as he remembered them, soft and a little dry, but perfect. He quickly took the kiss to another level, opening his mouth and forcing his tongue down Daryl's throat, the older man letting himself go completely. His body was pliant and warm against Paul's, and for a moment the martial art teacher thought about exploding right here and now, against the door and still clothed.

"I need you" he finally whispered against Daryl's lips when they parted to take a deep gulp of air, their forehead brushing against each other's.

"Bedroom's down the hall" replied Daryl, just as breathless.

His eyes were almost entirely black, shining with something feral that Paul had never seen in the man. They parted, understanding that kissing all the way to the bedroom would take way too much time for their heated desire. Paul was already unbuttoning his shirt and taking off his shoes when he entered the bedroom behind Daryl, and smiled mischievously at the sight before him. The bed was messy and unmade, but it wasn't what caught the younger man's eyes. He could not ignore the bottle of lube on the bedside table, and Daryl caught his gaze as well.

"I needed to think about something else, you know" he confessed, not looking ashamed in the slightest. He unbuttoned his shirt, throwing it on the floor, before pushing his sweatpants under his hips and letting it slide down his legs.

"Hey man, I ain't judging."

If anything, it was a turn on for Paul. He was pretty dirty himself, having slept with his fair share of guys, drunk or not. But to know that Daryl, the shy Daryl Dixon was touching himself when he was alone? That thought made his dick stir even more.

They finished undressing separately, to maximise the time spent naked against each other once in the bed. Paul did not miss Daryl's hungry gaze on his naked skin more than once, though. Why they were finally down to their boxers only, cocks tenting the front, they fell into bed together. Daryl's mouth found Paul's neck, and soon enough he was working on the soft spot right on his collarbone with his warm tongue.

"Ah, fuck" whispered Paul, pushing a desperate hand against his boxer to get some relief. "I need you so bad, Daryl."

The redneck pulled back a little, skin flushed, and nodded.

"You bottom?" he asked Paul, grabbing the bottle of lube.

The young man winced.

"Not really often, no. But for you, I could."

People (and gay men especially) often assumed he was on the receiving end during sex, probably because he was kind of feminine and smaller than most men. The truth was, he wasn't against bottoming. He loved having a cock inside of him as much as the next person, but he really enjoyed topping better. Probably because of his job, and the sensation of power it gave him, he didn't really know. Some men simply preferred it this way, he assumed.

"Oh, thank fuck" whispered Daryl, his smile back on his face while he poured some lubricant on his fingers. "I hate topping. For a moment there, I was afraid you wanted to bottom."

Could this man be any more perfect?

"Are you kidding me?" asked Paul, cheeky. "I wanted that ass of yours since the first time I saw you walk inside that bar."

The sentence actually made Daryl moan, and Paul realized that he had reached back to push two fingers inside of himself, pushing his boxers under the soft skin of his ass, and was working them inside.

"Hey, relax, slow down baby" he slurred, kissing Daryl's mouth once more before reaching behind him to join his fingers with the redneck's.

He didn't push them in, simply resting them against the inside of Daryl's, coating them in lube and playing with the soft skin around Daryl's entrance. The older man moaned, stopping his movements for a moment and letting Paul tease him a little bit.

"I want you" admitted Daryl almost shyly, while his skin was flushed red with desire. "I want you so bad, Paul."

"I want you too, baby" replied the young man with a smile. "But I wanna play with you first."

He mentioned for Daryl to take his fingers out, and the older man did. He whined at the loss, his pleading eyes looking up at his lover. Paul licked his lips, mesmerized.

"God, you're so perfect baby" he praised, caressing the side of his face.

How could this man be so perfect? His bright blue eyes were scanning Paul's body, falling on his still clothed cock, and he liked his lips.

"I wanna taste you" he decided, pushing Paul's boxer down to free his hard cock.

After trying for a little bit to find a better and comfortable position, both men decided to get rid of their boxers entirely, finding themselves naked and exposed on the bed. Daryl couldn't take his eyes away from Paul's cock, and the young man moaned at the thought of Daryl's warm mouth around him.

"If you don't do something really soon, I think I'm gonna explode" confessed Paul with a chuckle.

"That would be a shame, wouldn't it?" asked Daryl, amused.

Without further words, he slid down Paul's body to find himself facing his cock, licking his lips at the sight. He let out a low moan when his mouth parted, taking the head in his mouth, and Paul groaned against his closed fist. Daryl's eyes found his and he pulled back again to lick at the swollen head, playing with the slit and swallowing the little drops of precome. Paul could only watch, completely mesmerized by the sight and the look of pure lust that Daryl was giving him.

"Wanted to know how you tasted like since the moment I saw you" groaned the redneck, a few stands of hair falling in front of his eyes.

Paul pushed it back with his hands, grabbing his hair in a tight fist and pulling Daryl's head back to be able to look at him fully. The redneck groaned, clearly turned on, and let his mouth open wide, pulling his tongue out to tease at the head of Paul's cock.

"Wanna fuck my mouth?" asked the older man, eyes shiny with desire.

Paul considered it for a handful of seconds, before nodding.

"You tell me if anything feels wrong, anything you don't want, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Promise."

He got back to sucking the tip of his cock before swallowing him whole, making Paul yelp in surprise. He could see the amusement in Daryl's eyes, and bucked his hips up to punish him. But of course Daryl was prepared, and his dick slide easily down his throat. He did it a few times, moaning louder each time, before Daryl pulled back to inhale deeply, coughing a little when his deprived lungs filed with air after so long. He gagged a few times on his dick, too, but he loved every second of it.

"Come on, I want you" whispered Paul, smiling at the man. "I don't wanna come like that. Not yet."

Daryl nodded, kneeling on the bed again to be able to kiss his lover. His lips were red, swollen and full of spit, and he was pretty sure that Paul could taste himself on his lips, but they both moaned at the feeling anyway.

"Do you have condoms?" asked the younger man, caressing Daryl's cheek possessively.

"In the nightstand. First drawer."

He got out of the bed to grab one, turning around to face his lover again once his hand found the little package. Daryl was on his back, looking up at him, and Paul sighed.

"Damn I've dreamed about this moment so many times" he confessed, biting his lower lip to bit back the groan he threatened to let out.

"Then you better get on with it, baby" teased Daryl, opening his legs further.

Paul did not need to hear it twice. He got back on the bed, kneeling between his thighs and looking at his lover. Daryl was a vision, spread out like this for his eyes only. His chest was flushed, and so were his cheeks. He was breathing heavily, courtesy of their previous activity, and his cock was filled with blood and rested heavy against his belly, dark purple and most certainly hurting.

"You can put two" the redneck whispered when Paul coated his fingers with lube, teasing his furled muscle. "I already played a little with myself earlier."

This knowledge turned Paul on even more, and he smacked Daryl's ass with a firm hand, making him moan out loud.

"Never knew you'd be so dirty, Dixon" slurred the young man, while he slipped two fingers inside of him slowly, crooking them to find his prostate.

He did not want to tease Daryl too much. Mostly because he was on the edge, and really needed to get inside the men already. But also because the redneck's cock looked painfully hard, and he knew that too much foreplay would ruin the mood. He wanted Daryl to come once he was inside of him, and not before.

"Ah, fuck, Paul' groaned Daryl when he found the little bundle of nerve, playing with it between his two gentle fingers.

Daryl's body arched off the bed and he let out a low sound, almost like a painful whine that had Paul wondering if he had hurt the man for a couple of seconds. But it was all pleasure, and Daryl wasn't shy in expressing it.

"Ah, I need you" groaned the redneck after a few minutes of this treatment, Paul adding a third finger to be certain that he wouldn't hurt his lover in the act, before taking them out.

"You're ready?" he asked, rolling the condom on his cock.

"Yes, get inside already!"

Who was he to deny Daryl such a thing? He used one hand to keep his cock against his lover's entrance while he planted the other one next to his head on the bed, and slowly pushed in. Both of them held their breath while the swollen mushroom head passed the rim, and Daryl let out a high pitched whine when he finally slipped inside all the way in, Paul's hips flushed against his ass.

"Fuck, I feel like I've been waiting my entire life for this" whimpered Daryl, eyes closed and lips parted in the most delicious way.

Paul could not help but laugh, the vibration reverberating inside their body and making them both moan in concert. Though he had waited for Daryl to get used to the stretch inside of him, the older man raised his legs to entwine them behind Paul's ass, pushing the man further inside of him, silently asking him to move. Paul was in no position to deny anything, and taking a few deep breath he began pounding inside of the willing body, moaning loudly when the tightness around his cock made his entire body tremble with pleasure.

Daryl was not fairing any better under him, his head thrown back and his lips letting out the most marvelous sounds. His hands were looking for something to hold on, and after gripping the sheets tight in his fists he finally grabbed Paul's shoulder, putting his other hand on the headboard of the bed. Said bed was tapping loudly against the wall, and Paul eventually hoped that Daryl's neighbors weren't sensitive, because the noises coming out of his lover's mouth were loud and there was no way Paul wanted them to stop.

"Right there, babe, right there!" all but yelled Daryl when Paul pushed his knees further in the mattress, allowing himself more leverage to pound inside of the pliant body under him.

He knew he must have found Daryl's soft spot, and mischievously rutted against it with his next trusts. Daryl whined, letting go of Paul's shoulder to grab his red and leaking cock, stroking it quickly. The sounds his hand made on his cock added to the wet sound of Paul's thrusts inside of Daryl added to both men's excitation, and Paul slowed his rhythm a little.

"You close?" he muttered, panting against the soft skin of Daryl's neck when he bent over to kiss it, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling. Daryl was tight and hot around his cock, and his heated skin felt amazing against his entire body.

"Yes… fuck, Paul, yes!"

Paul wanted to stop his trusts and watch the man stroke his cock, watching him fall apart entirely. But Daryl moaned in protest, trying to increase his rhythm by pushing against Paul's ass with his available hand, biting his lower lip.

"Want me to keep going?" the younger man asked, already quickening his pace.

"Yes…. please. I want you to keep going… come inside, please?"

"You sure?"

Daryl did not reply verbally, pushing once again against his ass. He didn't need to be told twice, and resumed his pace with a content sight.

"Gonna come" admitted Daryl, licking his red and swollen lips. "Gonna come… harder, please?"

Paul was happy to oblige, his eyes never leaving Daryl's face. He didn't know how someone could look that good, and he had fucked his fair share of men. But right now, flushed and panting and desperately trying to wriggle back against the cock moving inside of him, Daryl looked… perfect. And Paul knew, at that moment, that there was no way he was getting out of this man's bed anytime soon. If Daryl let him.

"Oh God, I'm coming!" moaned Daryl, his entire body tensing and his cock finally spurting thick ropes of come between their bellies.

He kept stroking his aching member with a trembling hand, moans and curse flooding from his mouth and eyes shut tight. For a moment, Paul wondered if he should pull back because of the hyper sensibility of his body. But Daryl made no move for him to do so, so he stayed.

His thrusts were less and less steady, pleasure overtaking him as well. He barely registered Daryl's mouth on his neck, his lips and teeth nipping at his soft skin, before moaning loud and letting his last restreints go.

He came in a gasp, his body crushing against the redneck's and his cock filling the condom inside of his lover. He had never came inside someone's body without protection, but he knew that with Daryl, he would be willing to try anything. Including proper dating, of course.

"Are you okay?"

Daryl's voice pulled him from his transe, and he found the strength to roll over, leaving his lover's body and discarding the used condom.

"Mmm. More than okay. You?"

Daryl smiled. A smile that Paul had never seen, a smile full of teeth and that must have been one of the most wonderful thing he had ever seen in his short life.

"More than okay."

They stayed silent after that, but Paul was glad to see that the pregnant pause between the two of them wasn't weird or full of unsaid things. They both let their bodies cool down a little bit, Daryl rolling over at some point to nuzzle Paul's neck and kiss the full expense of his throat. They cuddled in silence, appreciating the calm and adrenalin running through their bodies.

They were just falling asleep, content and satisfied, when Daryl's voice broke the silence once again.

"Hey Paul?"

"Humm?" hummed the younger man, already half asleep.

"It's Valentine's day today."

Paul's only reply was a deep throaty laugh, that reverberated on the walls of the big bedroom.


End file.
